C
r
a
d
’
s
n
e
h Journal
By Deb Loughead
illustrated by Carly J. Stein
© 2008 Scholastic Canada Ltd. V001
July 1st —
Newfoundland to Nova Scotia
We’re on our way to the Maritimes !
This morning, Auntie drove Dad,
Vini, and me to the ferry docks in
Argentia, Newfoundland, about 100
kilometres south of St. John’s. The
ferry ride takes 14 hours to get to
North Sydney, on Cape Breton Island,
Nova Scotia.
room and a
a room for
Vini feels a
ship’s rolling
games arcade and even
watching movies. Poor
bit seasick because of the
on the waves.
Dad told us that, back in the late
1500s, there used to be pirates in
these waters ! He should know. He’s a
high school Geography teacher !
I’m writing this from a high-up deck
on the M.V. Caribou, looking out over
the Atlantic Ocean. This ship is like a
floating hotel ! There’s a dining
1
Chendra’s Journal
We were up late last night, watching
the Canada Day fireworks in North
Sydney, and left the motel early this
morning with the rental car. It didn’t
take long to drive to Fort Louisbourg,
but when we got there, it felt like we
had stepped back in time ! Actors were
dressed like people from 1744, and
acted out scenes from the past. We
even saw someone put into the stocks ! It
looked so real that I hid behind Dad so
they wouldn’t put me in the stocks. (That
would be a way worse punishment than
being sent to your room for “time out” !)
23
Life at the fort
would have been
hard, but when Vini
saw the soldiers in
their blue‑and‑grey
uniforms, he didn’t
care. He wanted to
be a soldier anyway.
John Sylvester / First Light
July 2nd — Fort Louisbourg
The hilly drive around Bras d’Or Lake
felt like a roller coaster ride some of
the time ! We stopped at a lookout to
take pictures of the beautiful scenery.
Dad spotted a pair of bald eagles
over the lake, and we all had a look
at them through his binoculars.
Chendra’s Journal
We took a slight detour on the drive
so we could stop for a while at the
Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage
Centre. It’s run by the Mi’kmaq First
Nations community. We went to a
demonstration of traditional drumming
and a sweetgrass ceremony performed
by an elder. The sweetgrass really does
smell sweet when it’s burning ! We also
saw an interesting video about the
history of the Mi’kmaq.
July 3rd —
Port Hawkesbury to Halifax
Now we’re heading for Halifax on a
winding route along the coast, called
the Marine Drive. It’s taking forever
to get there ! We’ve passed some
towns with funny names like Drum
Head, Ecum Secum, and Mushaboom !
Dad says he took the “scenic route.” (I
think that means he got lost !)
And now we’re spending the night at
a motel in a little town called Port
Hawkesbury.
3
Chendra’s Journal
To help pass the time, I’m reading some
scary Maritime ghost stories from a book
Dad bought me on Cape Breton Island.
Later, we stopped for a picnic lunch at
Clam Harbour Beach. Vini and I waded
in the freezing water and collected some
shells, then we buried Dad in the sand !
July 4th — Halifax !
We started exploring the city as soon
as we got up today. We went to the
Halifax Citadel—a fort shaped like a
star—and guards shot the cannons at
noon. Vini loved it, but I plugged my
ears because they’re SO loud !
4
I’m saving every ticket stub from every
place we visit for my
scrapbook.
ADMIT O
N
E
After a city bus tour,
we wandered all over the Harbourside
Market. Dad said some of the
buildings there are 200 years old !
For dinner, we had a Halifax
specialty, a “donair”—spiced beef sliced
off a vertical spit and wrapped in a
pita. It tasted a lot like a shawarma,
only with a yummy sweet sauce ! Boy,
it was sloppy to eat, though. Vini was
wearing his !
Chendra’s Journal
July 5th — Halifax to Lunenburg
We spent another night in Halifax,
then we took a winding drive along
the Lighthouse Route. We were trying
to read licence
plates. Here’s one
that we saw:
On the way to Lunenburg, we stopped
at Peggy’s Cove and took pictures of
the famous lighthouse there. Then we
went into the gift shop, and I bought
some saltwater taffy for the car ride.
Vini and I climbed on the rocks and
got soaked by the splashing waves.
5
Dad wouldn’t let us back into the car
until we dried off !
July 6th — Lunenburg
and Hirtle’s Beach
We’re in Lunenburg
now—the home
of the tall ship
Bluenose, the
schooner that’s on
our dime ! We’re staying
with our two cousins,
Auntie, and Uncle at their big, old,
clapboard house for a few nights !
Chendra’s Journal
Our cousins took us to the Fisheries
Museum of the Atlantic today, and we
learned so much about fish and the
people who catch them. There were all
kinds of fish, crabs, eels, and lobsters
in huge tanks. And we even got to
touch a live starfish ! We learned how
boats are made in the boat shop and
toured a schooner that was docked by
the wharf. Vini bought a tiny ship in
a bottle as a souvenir. Now he wants
to be a pirate !
6
The best part was going to Hirtle’s
Beach with our cousins. We saw two
seals playing in the waves so close
by ! They looked like shiny dogs with
tiny ears—I wished I could pat one.
We saw some tiny crabs and a sea
urchin in a tide
pool. And I found
a dried-out sand
dollar that Dad
said I could keep…
as long as it
doesn’t get stinky !
Chendra’s Journal
July 8th —
Kejimkujik National Park
After another beach day, we said bye
to our cousins in Lunenburg and
started our long car ride across the
middle of Nova Scotia. We spotted
a lot of cars carrying canoes, then
saw the signs for Kejimkujik National
Park. (I’d love to try canoeing and
camping there sometime.) We passed
thick forests and sparkly lakes along
this route.
7
I’ve started a novel and Vini is
reading his comic books. Dad just
sings along with the radio as he
drives ! (Vini keeps plugging his ears !)
Soon we’ll leave our rental car behind
in Digby and take a three-hour ferry
boat ride across the Bay of Fundy to
Saint John, New Brunswick.
Chendra’s Journal
Later July 8th —
Digby to Saint John
I can’t believe it ! We saw a HUGE
finback whale from the deck of the
ferry boat today ! The whale tail made
a gigantic splash when it hit the water.
Vini was taking pictures, and Dad
watched the whale with his binoculars;
then we all took turns having a
look through them. (I’m going to try
drawing a picture
of the whale’s tail
sticking out of the
water.)
8
I spotted a school of porpoises,
shining silver as they jumped the
waves. Vini tried to scare me and
told me they were sharks ! Oh sure—I
know sharks don’t jump !
We’re staying at a bed & breakfast
in Saint John tonight and picking up
another car. (I wonder if the people
who own the b & b will know if
sharks can really jump like Vini said
on the ferry boat !)
Chendra’s Journal
We visited the New Brunswick
Museum in Market Square after
breakfast this morning. There was
a great hall with marine mammals,
including an enormous right whale
named Delilah hanging from the
ceiling. In the lobby, there was this
cool “tidal tube.” It’s connected to the
harbour, so the water in the tube
rises and falls with the tides !
After that, Dad drove from Saint
John to Moncton. We stopped at
9
Hopewell Rocks, an amazing place
with rocks shaped like flowerpots
growing funny evergreen hair. The rock
shapes were carved by the Bay of
Fundy tides—the highest ones in the
world ! Since the tide was out, Vini
and I could go rock hunting on the
beach around
those gigantic
flowerpot rocks.
Tonight we’re
staying in
Moncton at the
home of Dad’s old university friend,
Jean-Guy, and his wife Micheline.
Chendra’s Journal
John Sylvester / First Light
July 9th —
Saint John to Moncton
July 10th —
Moncton to P.E.I.
This morning, we drove to Magnetic
Hill. At the bottom of the hill, you put
your car in “neutral”—then the car rolls
backwards UP the hill. Dad says that
it’s an optical illusion that makes it
look like going uphill when it’s actually
downhill, but it sure felt real to me !
Right after lunch, we headed for
P.E.I. Dad kept telling silly fish jokes !
- Where does a fish keep his money?
In the river bank ! DOUBLE GROAN !
The drive to Cape Tormentine
went quickly; then we crossed the
Confederation Bridge to the island in
just 10 minutes. We passed a funny
roadside attraction—a giant potato in
a town called O’Leary. (How many
french fries could that potato make?)
And now, we’re staying in a beach
cabin in Cavendish for a few days.
- What’s the difference between a fish and
a piano? You can’t tuna fish ! GROAN !
10
Chendra’s Journal
It’s our second sunny day on Prince
Edward Island. Last night in our cozy
little beach cabin, we could hear the
surf crashing on the shore.
Cavendish Beach is amazing ! To get
there, we walked along the boardwalks
through these beautiful, red sand
dunes. We found out that red foxes
make their dens in the dunes ! Vini
and I saw one running away.
We’ve had so much fun exploring the
beach ! We even dug for clams.
11
Sometimes, when you dig one up, it
shoots a squirt of water into the air.
One sprayed me right in the face !
John Sylvester / First Light
July 1 1th — Green Gables !
In the afternoon, we rented bikes
and rode over to Green Gables. It’s
the house that inspired Lucy Maud
Montgomery to write her famous story
about a girl named Anne Shirley.
I took photos and bought some
postcards there. It’s so beautiful !
Chendra’s Journal
July 12th —
to Charlottetown and Home
I can’t believe our trip is almost
over ! This morning, we packed up
and left the cabin in Cavendish, then
drove to Charlottetown. But before
we leave P.E.I., we will see a play at
the Charlottetown Festival. I can’t wait
to see Anne of Green Gables:—The
Musical ! After that, we have to return
the rental car and fly back home to
Newfoundland.
12
Once we get home, I’m going to fill
up my scrapbook with all the maps,
tickets, postcards, and brochures that
we collected along the way.
What an amazing trip !
Chendra’s Journal